hack 1 develop a space that promotes risk-taking17 hack 1 develop a space that promotes risk-taking...

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HACK 1

DEVELOP A SPACE THAT PROMOTES RISK-TAKING

Establish a culture of inquiry and creativity

Fear is the enemy of curiosity.— Joshua aronson, associate Professor of aPPlied Psychology

THE PROBLEM: SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY

Baby Jo is a born inquirer. She doesn’t talk yet, but she questions her surroundings through sounds and gestures. She cries in different

ways and experiences the reactions of the adults around her. As Jo becomes a toddler, her abilities continue to develop. Now, she has more control over her gross motor skills and she can test and experiment in her environment. “What will happen if I push this cup off my tray?” she wonders. Jo is persistent. She pushes her cup off her tray as many times a possible and observes the outcome each time. Soon Jo turns five. Now she spews questions like an open fire hydrant expelling water. She is hungry for new information, and she has enough command of the language to question anything and everything.

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HACKING PROJECT BASED LEARNING

In September of her fifth year, Jo begins school. During each year of her education, Jo has fewer opportunities to question, or even speak, during her school day. Even in adolescence, when Jo’s brain is primed for risk-taking and exploration, she is asked to engage in activities and answer questions that provide her with little time to stretch her creativity. As learning becomes associated with teacher selected content and the memorization of facts, Jo stops looking for new problems to solve or ideas to test, and she becomes less interested in learning.

Jo is not alone. In his 2006 TED Talk, Sir Ken Robinson made his prominent claim that schools kill creativity. The world’s most creative minds constantly question their surroundings, but our school system is designed to fill students’ heads with information regardless of their levels of interest. As a result, student questioning diminishes. Adolescent brains are wired for creativity. Their emotional brain is kicking in full gear and their rational brain is still developing. This developmental process contributes to students being fearless risk takers, a key component in the creative process. However, they attend classes that do little to tap into this treasure trove of creative potential. As Robinson stated, “We don’t grow into creativity; we grow out of it.”

Many of us have accepted our current system is broken. This system, designed to prepare workers for the industrial age, is no longer effective. We are no longer training children for the assembly line. Their futures will require them to function as problem solvers and critical thinkers, and a traditional education deafens these natural instincts.

THE HACK: DEVELOP A SPACE THAT PROMOTES RISK-TAKING

PBL provides students opportunities to grapple with challenging experiences. This approach presents a conundrum for educators, as Dr. John Van de Walle described:

It is hard to think of allowing–much less planning for–the children in your classroom to struggle. Not showing

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HACK 1: Develop a Space that Promotes Risk-Taking

them a solution when they are experiencing difficulty seems almost counterintuitive. If our goal is relational understanding, however, the struggle is part of the learning, and teaching becomes less about the teacher and more about what the children are doing and thinking.

Through this productive struggle, students work to uncover understandings of content as opposed to serving as bystanders while the teacher covers curriculum through lectures, worksheets, and disconnected tasks. However, creating an environment where students feel comfortable engaging in productive struggle requires a classroom culture established with intentionality.

A successful PBL classroom relies on a culture of inquiry and creativity to ensure students engage in deeper learning driven by their curiosities. We develop this culture by: building relationships, fostering learner agency through our physical environment, creating a resource-rich classroom, teaching students to ask good questions, and promoting risk-taking.

To initiate the design thinking

process, pose the question, “What classroom design

would best inspire and motivate you

as you learn?”

WHAT YOU CAN DO TOMORROW

• Provide examples of inquiry-rich companies. We won’t pretend all of your students are going to embrace the inquiry experience right away. After all, it is hard work. It is certainly easier to sit and tune in (and out) of a lecture. However, there are profitable companies

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excelling in the real world where questioning is valued and promoted. Allowing students a glimpse

into organizations like Google, Apple, or IDEO, may be the inspiration they need to embrace this work. Use videos, blog posts, or product samples to engage students in conversations about how questions and creativity impact these companies, and discuss how these elements connect to classroom learning.

• Make your classroom look less like school. As your students study inquiry-rich companies, have them pay close attention to the workspaces they observe. For example, cubicles at IDEO are transformed into princess castles or modified to provide space for bike storage, and large labs are available for group meetings and prototyping. Invite your students to discuss how these unique spaces may impact the work of their employees. Since your budget is obviously very different than that of IDEO, visit garage sales, your local Swedish furniture store, or repurpose items from your home in order to reinvent your classroom space.

• Create a failure board. Often times, students’ fear of failure interferes with their abilities to accept any criticism of their work. Creating a failure board for students to post their failed ideas helps remove the stigma from the word “failure.” These boards can be created within your physical space or digitally. Regardless of format, teachers can continuously model this process for students by posting their own failures and talking through their thought processes surrounding their experiences.

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A BLUEPRINT FOR FULL IMPLEMENTATION

Step 1: Build relationships.

Our experiences identify relationships as the most powerful precursor in developing a culture where students actively inquire and create. When we speak with teachers who claim, “PBL doesn’t work!” we often find they have tried to abruptly shift from a teacher-centered classroom to student-centered PBL experiences while failing to lay the foundation for these attempted changes. Without devoting time to building positive relationships, there is a lack of trust between individuals in the classroom. Relationships are unique and highly dependent on individuals and experiences. However, there are two factors we believe are essential to forming relationships in your classroom:

• Talk - Engage individually with every student, every day. Greet students by name at the door or dialogue about a weekend experience. This individual attention forges a connection between teacher and student. When it is completely evident a teacher cares, students are far more likely to speak up when they have a question, identify problems, and take risks. Students also need to develop relationships among their peers. So, there should also be ample time provided for students to speak with each other during class. In Hack 2 we expand upon student talk as we discuss collaboration in the classroom.

• Empathy - Empathy refers to our ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Consistent conversation will help you get to know your students. With this knowledge, you will be able to approach each learner in a compassionate and understanding manner, thus developing a greater sense of trust in the teacher-student

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relationship. Ultimately, we hope to model an empathetic approach for our students so they integrate an empathetic mindset while interacting with each other.

Step 2: Foster learner agency through your physical environment.

What does the physical makeup of your classroom say about you and your instruction? With one look at a classroom’s appearance, we can determine if it was designed for student learning or teacher convenience. To create effective PBL experiences, we must shift the locus of control in the classroom.

Whereas empathy should be called upon to establish relationships, it can also be leveraged to assist us in rethinking our physical environments. Using the design thinking process, teachers and students explore possibilities by drawing upon empathy, strategic reasoning, and the possibilities of innovation in order to reimagine learning spaces with the best interests of students in mind.

To initiate the design thinking process, pose the question, “What classroom design would best inspire and motivate you as you learn?” Allow students to research classroom designs and to interview their classmates regarding their preferences and dislikes. Provide time for students to prototype different arrangements and ideas. The final design may include an overall plan for the classroom with modifications for individual students. For example, tables and desks may be placed in a specific arrangement, while students may choose to sit on either an exercise ball or bean bag chair, or near the center or perimeter of the classroom. Continue to reflect and refine the design as the needs of the classroom and individual students evolve throughout the year.

Step 3: Create a resource-rich classroom.

Students need an environment worth questioning. As a teacher early in her career, Erin happily adorned her classroom with brightly colored

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posters from the local teacher supply store. She filled her space with beautifully crafted posters and the smell of lamination made her dizzy with happiness. It took her longer than she would like to admit to realize that her students were completely disinterested in her premade posters. Over time, she began to replace published displays with charts and artifacts created by or with students.

Amazingly, the students continued to access the content on these displays. During work periods, students moved to their posters to refresh their memories or add more content. Erin began to strategically leave books, articles, and images around the learning space. While this drove her Type A nature insane, students questioned, discussed, and debated the materials. Laminated, premade products communicate that the learning is over and the result is fixed. Artifacts created by the students themselves communicate their learning is a work in progress. The more opportunities students have to interact with their environment, the more apt they are to question, identify problems, and propose ideas. Be cognizant of the level of interaction your room provides. Students should easily be able to connect with materials, displays, and their classmates.

Another important component of a resource rich classroom is the students’ ability to connect with the world outside the classroom walls. Technology offers a plethora of resources to make these connections. Tools like social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.), Skype, and Google, remove the barriers between your students and the world at large. If technology is not readily available, take your students to local businesses or invite local experts into your classroom. Everything worth questioning or creating does not exist within the four walls of your classroom.

Step 4: Teach students to ask good questions.

Students have a greater capacity to learn when new content is connected to personal background knowledge. Questions create a

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perfect bridge between what they know and what they want to know. If students are going to learn deeply, engage completely, and create lasting understanding of content, we must provide opportunities to question.

We use different types of questions based on our purpose. Often times, we do not think about our questions or why and how we are posing them. However, questioning is an art. The questions we ask are directly related to the answers and outcomes we receive. Effectively modeling questioning practices is essential to the development of an inquiry culture. Posing a variety of questions is a good place to start. In addition, there are some questioning protocols we have found useful for pushing students to ask questions worth exploring:

Question Carousel - This is a routine Erin developed when she realized students only like to ask questions to which

they know the answers. Students work in groups to select a problem they would like to solve or an idea they would like to explore. Each group records its idea either on chart paper or digitally. Then the groups rotate so they are viewing another group’s problem or idea, and they pose questions about the problem or idea in front of them. A timer is set for an extended period of time, which sends the message one or two quick questions will not suffice. When the “Question Storm” is complete, students rotate again to view a new problem or idea and the questions posed by the previous group. This group is charged with identifying the “Critical Questions.” The Critical Questions are the starting point for the original group; these are the questions they will tackle first in their exploration.

Question Formulation Technique – In their book, Make Just One Change, Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana, establish

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the Question Formulation Technique protocol. This protocol is probably our favorite way to start a unit of study.

Using this technique, students pose, refine, analyze, and evaluate their own questions. Their final questions serve as an excellent springboard into course content. Rothstein and Santana, founders of the Right Question Institute, believe that quality questions are the key to a successful democracy and they have made it their mission to teach others how to make meaningful inquiries.

Why? What if? How? - Warren Berger presents this questioning model in his book, A More Beautiful Question. Using this sequence, students challenge a current reality by asking “Why?” questions. Then they pose “What if?” questions as a way to propose solutions or alternatives. Finally, students dig into the work of bringing their ideas into action by generating “How?” questions. From here, classwork centers on research, solving problems, and

hopefully asking more questions.

Step 5: Promote risk-taking.

History is riddled with creative minds who have questioned their world and proposed new solutions to problems they have discovered. Provide time for students to explore their curiosities and encourage them to test out new ideas. In addition, our reactions to student failures speak volumes. The verbal and nonverbal cues we offer students who are experiencing setbacks can make or break a learning experience. For example, if David just unsuccessfully combined substances in his attempt to make a chemical reaction, and his instructor negatively displays his own frustration, David is going to think twice before gearing up to try again. However, David is likely to reengage quickly

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if the instructor offers reassurance by following up with, “David, I appreciate your persistence. Can you identify what went wrong?”

OVERCOMING PUSHBACK

Inquiry is not new. The concept has been discussed in the education field for decades. However, in general, the practice has yet to seep through the brick and mortar of our traditional schools and truly impact the way our students learn.

What about the Test? Most of us work in organizations implementing standards and standardized tests. Providing instruction aligned to standards and developing a classroom culture that promotes inquiry and creativity are not mutually exclusive. While the planning of a PBL unit may start by first examining the standards and other guiding resources such as your curriculum documents (more on this in Hack 3), the understandings students can uncover as a result of PBL not only satisfy what is needed for “the test,” but dig significantly deeper.

There is no time for this; I have content to cover. We don’t have time not to do PBL. Our students deserve deeper learning opportunities. We need to spend less time telling kids about important dates of the American Revolution and more time ensuring students understand our democracy. Using one of the protocols outlined in Step 4 of A Blueprint for Full Implementation will help ensure students are asking questions about topics related to your curriculum. Rather than covering your content through lectures or scripted activities, provide your students with opportunities to uncover understandings of content through the exploration of their questions. Also, in Hack 3 we discuss how to prioritize the content that matters most.

If kids are just doing whatever they want, they will never learn to be good students. If we are still defining good students as “quiet” and “compliant,” than we happily confirm that a culture of inquiry and creativity will not in fact produce good students. Students in a

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project based classroom fueled by inquiry will be defined by their perseverance, creativity, problem solving abilities, collaborative skills, and willingness to ask questions that lead to meaningful change.

THE HACK IN ACTION

On the first day of school the fifth grade students walked confidently with the knowledge it was their year to rule the school. There were high fives, comments about new clothing, and conversations about summer vacation. As the students reached the fifth grade wing, they began to break apart and enter their assigned classrooms. However, when students entered Room 313 they noticed something very strange; the room was bare of desks, tables, and chairs. The walls were blank with the exception of large, plain pieces of paper and some brightly colored quotes. The teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Harding, moved around the room, smiling and greeting her new students. “What’s going on?” some students wondered out loud. “Thank you for asking such a great question,” Jen responded. “Please feel free to write any questions you may have on the chart paper. I look forward to discussing them with you.”

Jen explained that the team had some work to do before they could set up their learning space together. She wanted her students to feel comfortable questioning each other and their environment. So, she had the group engage in a design thinking process to create their ideal classroom. Students interviewed each other to determine the preferences of their classmates and then researched design possibilities. After the interviews and research, students created design plans and presented them to the class. After feedback from their peers, students iterated their designs until they found one they believed best met their needs.

Based on their findings, most of the classroom desks were sent to storage and were replaced by beanbag chairs, bucket seats, and balance balls. Throughout the year, the students reflected on the classroom experience and redesigned the room, as necessary.

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Without a strong classroom culture, students will not feel comfortable engaging in the productive struggle present in the PBL experience. Establishing a culture of inquiry and creativity fosters student trust and develops the mindset necessary to tackle challenges. To ensure students feel empowered by their environment, take the time to build relationships, foster learner agency through your physical environment, create a resource-rich classroom, teach students to ask good questions, and promote risk-taking. To experience success, a classroom culture must be prepared to support a PBL experience.

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HACK 2

TEACH COLLABORATION SKILLSHarness dissonance to enhance learning

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think

alike than those who think differently.— friedrich nietzsche, PhilosoPher

THE PROBLEM: STUDENTS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO COLLABORATE

As a classroom teacher, coach, and administrator, Erin has heard teachers in various settings complain about students’

inabilities to successfully work together in a group. “What have you tried to remedy that problem?” she often asks. The most common responses range from adding a group work component to a rubric, creating a divide and conquer method, or simply nothing at all.

Let’s dissect the most common responses:

• Adding a group work component to a rubric: Is this rubric being used to give your students a score? If the answer to that question is yes, then you are potentially

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committing educational malpractice. As educators, we certainly should not be giving a grade for something we have not taught. If the rubric is being used exclusively to provide formative feedback, then you may be onto something.

• Creating a divide and conquer method: Allowing students to continually jigsaw their projects is sending the message this is how collaboration works. Essentially, this practice gives students the permission to take their ball and go home when confronted with an uncomfortable group dynamic, rather than working through the challenge with their team.

• Nothing at all: Completely ignoring collaboration is sending the message it is not important. Students learn to value experiences that receive attention and feedback. By failing to address collaboration, the importance of the skill diminishes.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2016 survey, 78.5% of respondents identified “ability to work on a team” as an essential skill looked for in new hires. The ability to work on a team, collaboration, was rated higher than all other skills (communication, work ethic, initiative, etc.) with the exception of leadership, which

was rated marginally higher at 80%. Why then, do we continue to overlook this crucial skill in our

classrooms? Sure, we provide opportunities for students to collaborate, but how do we prepare them for these opportunities and what happens when they go wrong?

Friction is the key to creating a quality outcome.

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HACK 2: Teach Collaboration Skills

We simply do not have enough time to do everything, which is why we need to be insanely picky about how we allocate this precious resource. Taking the time to teach collaboration skills in your classroom is an investment in the future work you expect from your students. When students engage in collaboration, their thinking is elevated and an active learning experience is created.

THE HACK: HARNESS DISSONANCE TO ENHANCE LEARNING

The common responses shared in the previous section suggest we lack a shared vision for collaboration. What exactly should collaboration look like, sound like, and feel like in our classrooms? Teams of educators could spend hours, or even days, debating, constructing, or wordsmithing a specific definition. Merriam-Webster defines collaboration as, “to work with another person or group in order to achieve or do something.” This definition includes the major facets essential for our students:

• “with another person” - This is where the divide and conquer method fails; it confuses collaboration with efficiency. Working with someone requires dialogue and productive struggle, even for our youngest students. Friction is the key to creating a quality outcome. We are remiss if we are not demonstrating for our students how to use dissonance for reflection and refinement.

• “achieve or do something” - Collaboration should lead to something, not always a tangible product, but something. What is the purpose? What is the common goal? We will discuss creating a motivating common goal in Hack 4, but establishing this something is key to creating a collaborative team.

If we expect students to collaborate, we must teach them how. This explicit instruction goes beyond kindergarten lessons on learning to share and truly transcends grade level.

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WHAT YOU CAN DO TOMORROW

• Pre-assess. It is imperative that you do not make assumptions about students’ abilities to collaborate based on their age or the types of classes in which they are enrolled. To determine where you need to start with your instruction on collaboration, pre-assess your class. You can gather this information by asking your students to reflect on past experiences or by observing students while they work together.

• Curate. Locate examples of collaborative experiences. A quick Google search will return an abundance of videos you can use as exemplars. Curate resources such as YouTube clips from popular sitcoms or education specific videos found on the Teaching Channel to immerse your students in dialogue about collaboration. While doing so, students can uncover what effective collaboration should and should not look like in the classroom.

• Collaborate. When was the last time you engaged in a quality, collaborative experience? The next time you are in a planning meeting or workshop, tune into the collaborative skills used by those in room. These skills may include: discussion skills, body language, transitions, organization strategies, etc. You will have more to offer your students if you are well versed in collaboration.

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A BLUEPRINT FOR FULL IMPLEMENTATION

Step 1: Define and model what collaboration looks like.

It is best to start with what collaboration looks like because it is the easiest feature to observe. Students should watch the videos you curated or visit another classroom currently engaged in a collaborative experience. Ask your students to note what they see happening. It may be helpful to break students into groups and have each group observe a different element. Good elements to observe are: body language, materials, environment, and location.

When collaborating face-to-face, we use certain body language that allows our partner(s) to know we are engaged. We lean in, uncross our arms, and make eye contact. These behaviors are not always natural, so we need to demonstrate and practice with our students. We also need to model for students the appropriate ways to use their mobile devices (laptops, phones, etc.), so they enhance rather than distract from collaborative experiences. Students will need to build their work-focused stamina. Adolescents especially need to practice filtering out the static from their environment to fully engage with the human beings with whom they are working.

Regardless of the grade level you teach, having direct conversations and providing specific feedback about student body language and organization will help create a culture of collaboration within your classroom. Students are never too young or too old to reflect on their non-verbal communication skills.

Questions should not be used to

embarrass or evade. They

should be used to improve the work.

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Step 2: Define and model what collaboration sounds like.

Once your students have had opportunities to observe and practice the physical aspects of collaboration, you can move on to the words behind successful collaborative experiences. To establish effective word choice and strategies for questioning, you can return to your curated examples. Ask students to review the resources through a different lens and to focus on the words used by participants. In addition, we have had the most success providing opportunities for students to role-play collaborative conversations. This approach is initially uncomfortable, but it has a significant impact on actual practice. Focus on scenarios that have the greatest potential for stress, such as a peer presenting an idea the group does not understand or a disagreement related to process or product. Allow groups time to practice using scripted conversational techniques and then reflect on the experience.

Disagreement is part of the collaboration process. Unfortunately, when students disagree about content, their feedback often becomes personal. “I don’t like that idea,” turns into, “I don’t like you.” Personalized statements can derail their work. First, students need to listen and try to understand each other. Initially, listening sounds like silence. The real skill is applied when students restate their teammate’s ideas, possibly in their own words, beginning with something like, “What I hear you saying is . . . .” The next level is students asking follow-up questions. Questions should gather information and probe ideas so work can move forward. A common misstep is when students use questions as a means of thwarting a peer’s idea. This is an issue to address up front. Questions should not be used to embarrass or evade. They should be used to improve the work.

Step 3: Define and model what collaboration feels like.

Things get touchy here as we want our students to be passionate about their work, but we do not want their passion to blind them to critical

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feedback. Regardless of age, it is hard to compromise. Students often associate compromise with being wrong. They feel that agreeing to a compromise is like admitting their original idea was not good enough. Hack 7 discusses feedback, but for now it is important to impress upon students that the friction created by opposing views allows us to create a stronger outcome. It is not about the emotions behind being right or wrong; it is about creating the best possible end result. To address this concern, engage in an honest discussion. Start by having the conversation with the class as a whole. As specific situations arise, and they will, address those privately.

Step 4: Do it again.

Once and done is not an option. Consistent, continual feedback and practice related to collaboration is imperative. Collaboration may look different depending on the size of the group or the task. Therefore, your modeling and conversations will change for each new endeavor. Archive your class’s expectations by using a poster, infographic, or checklist. Be sure your students have access to these resources and reference them regularly. When expectations are not being met or a new component is discovered, revisit the expectations and model again. Provide specific feedback on an individual basis. Praise students for their strengths and identify areas in need of growth. Create opportunities for students to reflect on their collaboration skills.

OVERCOMING PUSHBACK

At this time, you would be hard-pressed to find someone willing to say collaboration is not important. While collaboration has an established buzzword status, educators still struggle with the practicality of teaching it.

Collaboration? I assign group work all the time. Assigning a task is very different from creating a quality collaborative experience. You

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can gauge this difference by identifying the extent to which students must rely on each other to complete their work. Asking students to research a topic and record facts on a worksheet requires very limited collaborative skills. Posing a problem and asking students to create a solution as a group requires students to brainstorm, question, discuss, and iterate, thus collaboration is an integral part of the activity.

How do you have time for that? You must not be teaching your content. Teaching collaboration takes time, but it is an investment in your students’ future work. As students learn to collaborate effectively, they create higher quality products and establish learning that lasts. When students learn to question each other and draw upon experiences and research to support their beliefs, they develop much deeper understandings of content. Students who have engaged in a thoughtful discussion about the Revolutionary War can do more than list its causes. Rather, they are likely to have formed opinions about these causes while being poised to defend their ideas.

THE HACK IN ACTION

Molly Magro, a middle school librarian, often collaborates with teachers to develop project based experiences. In this scenario, Molly worked with a social studies teacher to introduce a new unit.

The focus of the unit was established based on students’ interests and questions generated by various resources Molly had set up at centers around the library. To prepare the students for their work, Molly sat at a table and modeled with one of the groups a conversation about a text resource. After the modeling, the students discussed what they saw and created a set of expectations for their learning. This information was collected as a digital poster and displayed on the electronic whiteboard. Students had a portion of the class period to begin working with their group. Towards the end of the period, the classroom teacher asked the students to reflect on the experience so

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far. Students connected some of their actions to the class expectations, and two students proposed changes to the original list.

Later in the unit the class returned to the library. The students were about to embark on another portion of their learning, which would require them to work with their group to establish a path for their team’s research study. To begin the class, Molly asked one of the groups to begin their conversation while the rest of the class listened in. After a brief, awkward silence, the group plunged into their debate. A few minutes passed and the librarian stopped the dialogue. The whole class reflected on the group’s conversation and created an additional list of expectations and strategies. This new list focused on the words and questions the group members used during their conversation.

Throughout the unit, Molly and the classroom teacher checked in with groups and offered feedback related to collaboration. When quality questioning was overheard, it was recorded on the poster and specific feedback was provided. If a negative interaction was observed in a certain group, the teaching team met with the students and helped facilitate a problem solving session. The teachers were careful not to overstep while they probed and asked questions that helped the students settle on a solution.

At the end of the unit, the class reflected on the collaborative experience. Molly and the classroom teacher met with each group and assisted as team members gave each other constructive feedback related to their collaborative skills. Students completed a personal reflection and created action plans for the future.

Collaboration is a critical skill for students of all ages. A high quality collaborative experience pushes students’ thinking and creates deeper

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learning opportunities. We convey the importance of collaboration by investing the time in teaching collaborative strategies and providing specific feedback related to collaborative interactions.

hack 1 develop a space that promotes risk-taking17 hack 1 develop a space that promotes risk-taking...

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